A Father's Nugget
by tuNGaw-GiRL
Summary: He didn't understand the weight and depth of the words he had spoken...not until he had his very own son.


_A/N: A belated entry for Father's Day. It's the thought that counts (me reasons out *sweatdrops*). In dedication to my one and only father, Dani, and to all fathers in the world.*bows*_

_Disclaimer: Me don't own La Corda D'Oro and it's characters.  
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_Summary: He didn't understand the weight and depth of the words he had spoken…not until he had his very own son._

_~LCDO~_

"_Len,"_

_He felt his hands settle on his shoulders in a firm yet gentle grip as the elder man slowly kneeled to meet his younger gaze._

"_Life isn't always reasonable. As you trudge along the path you've chosen for yourself, no matter how earnest you are with your actions and how noble you are with your intentions, there will be times that you'll be faced with unimaginable tribulations. You will come to confront ordeals beyond your strength and capabilities that will soon make you question your faith on yourself and to the one you believed in."_

_The eyes he met reflected gravity beyond his immature understanding and he looked on, his very own expressing his innocent confusion. Upon seeing his puzzled countenance, the older man smiled in fondness._

"_I know it's still too early for you to realize these words I'm telling you. But I want you to bear this in mind, Len."_

_Len's father lifted a hand to let it rest on top of his head._

"_Whatever hardships comes your way, anything that will cause you pain, no matter what sufferings you will encounter, remember that everything isn't perpetual; that every dire tunnel you take in your road of life always has a hopeful clearing. Never fill your heart with hate and don't forget to love. Cry if you must but never move on with a heavy heart. Because in the end, everything is just a test of devotion and a learning experience for you to become stronger and more responsible than you were before. And when the time comes for you to reach the everlasting life, you'll carry with you the wisdom you gained upon your encounters and leave with no regrets."_

~.~_  
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Tsukimori Len opened his eyes as the memory slowly fades. He settled his gaze then upon the tombstone before him.

"Father, it's been a while."

He knelt down – like how his father used to do – to place the fresh flowers he bought before the cold stone. He then lifted his hands to brush the name engraved on it, a branding to the person who lay under it for eternity. His heart was filled with sudden longing. _Father, I miss you terribly._

"Dad?"

A call layered with worry caught his attention and he turned to face his very own flesh and blood. The child had his left hand slightly lifted in a direction he assumed to be towards him. Looking at his son, no one would think he isn't normal. But if someone would look closely, they would realize that the boy's eyes would give away his very condition. He felt a slight pang in the depths of his heart as he slowly reached his son's hand.

"I'm here, son."

He reached his small hand and held it in an affectionate grip, and he felt the boy's tense hand settled in relief. Len felt his heart beat with newfound resolve and devotion for his son and he held his hand even tighter.

"You okay, Dad?" the young boy asked, his voice still betraying a hint of concern towards his father.

Len smiled and slowly stood up from his kneeling position, all the while releasing his son's hand to settle his own on top of the boy's head just like how his father is accustomed to do to him.

"I'm fine. I'm just remembering your grandfather, that's all," he replied, his voice somewhat in a far-off tone.

They settled in a peaceful silence for a while before the younger boy spoke again.

"What was he like, Dad?"

Len lowered his head to look at his son and he saw the questioning in his blind eyes. He felt the slight pain gripped his heart once again as he looked upon his son's non-seeing eyes and suddenly, he could hear his father's voice at the back of his mind.

_Never fill your heart with hate and don't forget to love._

He released a shuddering sigh and set his sights back on the tombstone, his mind moving in a million miles to the past as he recalls the days when his father was still alive.

"Your grandfather was a gentle man. He's never too strict yet never too lenient as well. He's a loving husband to your grandmother and a responsible father to me. He taught me everything I have to know when I was still your age."

The younger boy gave a tentative 'hmm' at his words and Len chuckled slightly at this.

"What? You don't believe me?"

His son shook his head instantly at this and held his wrist firmly to prove his point.

"No! It's not like that, Dad. I was just trying to imagine the kind of person he is from how you describe him."

Len smiled fondly at this and he settled his hands on his son's shoulders, his arms circling the small frame of his son's back in a half embrace.

"I know, son. If this is of any help to your mental image, I would like to add that your grandfather was a very wise man. He always had nuggets of wisdom to share whenever he finds time to spend with me between his busy schedules. He's a very brave man, full of love to share."

"He sounds like a very great man, Dad," the young boy's voice was filled with secret excitement and admiration.

Len nods in agreement. "He was."

They fell silent once again and as Len looked down to see his son's expression he found his solemn face and wondered what could be in the young boy's mind to elicit such look.

"I feel kind of sad, though, Dad. I was not able to meet grandfather. Mom said that he died even before I was born."

Len remained silent for a while before answering, "Yes, he did."

The silence that fell between them after that was so despondent that Len was almost desperate to recover the lost warmth. He doesn't like sorrow to surround his son because knowingly, any misery the young boy could feel could lead to the things he desperately doesn't want his son to feel – helplessness and pity towards oneself.

"Son, what happened to your grandfather was something beyond our capability to handle. Even though everything turned out the way it had, there is one thing I could assure you." His son raised his head to let him know he was listening. "He would have been very excited and happy to meet you too, if he was given the chance."

His son smiled at this but that didn't fool his eyes. His young boy may be blind but that didn't make his eyes anything less when it comes to emotions.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Len asked in practiced innocence. There is no need for him to ask because he already had an idea what was bothering his son. But he had to, considering his son's secretive nature. The younger boy lowered his head.

"It's just that, even if grandfather is here to meet me, I…" the younger boy paused as he felt his voice shake. "…I still won't be able to see him."

He knew his son was trying his hardest not to show his defenseless state but the young boy's tears slowly hitting the ground betrayed his inner turmoil. Len felt his heart being torn apart and the grip he had on his son's shoulder instinctively tightened. He closed his eyes and silently pleaded. _Father, help me._

Len settled his other hand on the younger boy's other shoulder as he slowly knelt in front his son to meet his unseeing eyes.

"Son, let me share to you a nugget my father told me when I was still young."

The younger boy raised his head, unmindful now of his helpless appearance. Len moved to wipe the tears on his son's face and smiled fondly at him, the fact that he cannot see him gone unheeded.

"Your grandfather used to tell me that life is not always reasonable. That regardless of the good deeds that you have done to yourself and to the people around you, there will be times that you will encounter difficulties beyond your expectation. You'll get hurt and experience pain even if you haven't done anything that would require such struggle."

Len paused, caressing his son's face as he tried his best to teach his son the very same wisdom his own father taught him in the past.

"But your grandfather also said that any obstacle is not permanent. It is not always there to continually hurt you or cause you pain. And that whatever struggles you are experiencing is just a test of faith and a learning experience for you to become a stronger and more responsible person."

New set of tears trailed the curves of his son's cheeks as the weight of his words reached the young boy's heart.

"Son, you may feel that the world is being unjust to you. But I want you to remember this."

Len settled his hand on top of his son's head and smiled with all the affection he had for his only boy.

"We love you, regardless of what condition you have. And we wouldn't ask for any other. You are our son and your mother and I love you so dearly. Do not lose hope for we are not giving up, for your sake. Please remember that."

His son nodded at this and not long after, the young boy launched at him in a tight embrace. He held his son's crying form as he let him weep his heart out, the younger boy's pain mirrored in his own heart.

_Cry if you must but never move on with a heavy heart._

~.~_  
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It was long before the younger boy settled and by the time they are ready to leave to return home, the sun was already setting beyond the horizons. Father and son stood before the eldest Tsukimori's grave and as both were lost in their own thoughts, Len felt his hand seized by his young boy. He turned his sights on his son and saw him tilting his head, facing him.

"Dad, can I play something for grandfather before we leave?"

Len smiled at this with a sense of fatherly pride. He ruffled his son's hair as he answered, "Sure, son. Your grandfather would love that."

Not long after, the once silent dwelling for those in eternal sleep is now filled with music, a music filled with gratitude and love that a young boy could have for his father, of whom he may not see but could definitely feel by his side, and for his grandfather, of whom he may not have met but will forever be grateful for giving him a wonderful and affectionate father to lean on.

Len felt his heart being overwhelmed with so much ardor and happiness and as he joined his son in a wonderful violin duet, his feelings flowing through his music, tender and gratifying, he slightly raised his head skyward and for a moment he saw his father's face, smiling and definitely very proud.

_Well done, Len._

Len smiled back.

_Thanks, Dad._

~END~

_A/N: I can't believe I was able to finish this in just a day! I guess I was desperate not to exceed its lateness for more than a day.*sweatdrops* Hope you like it. A short review will do me wonders. Again, Happy Father's Day!_


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